Electricity security: Expert calls for diversification of energy sources

Dr Ali Bukar Ahmad, Chairperson, ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) Consultative Committee of Operators, has called for diversification of energy sources to ensure power security.He said the continent was heavily dependent on gas and needed to explore renewable energy sources such as hydro, coal, and others to address sector challenges.'The idea is to pool all these resources together and distribute electricity to areas without power and export the rest to West Africa,' he said at the opening of the ninth ERERA forum in Accra.The forum was on the theme, 'Electricity Trade Security in the ECOWAS Region: the Interplay between National Policies and Free Market Principles.'Dr Ahmad said that there was an increasing demand for energy transition across Africa and that authorities needed to implement strategies to meet the demand of rising populations.He predicted that as the population grows and industrialization advances, so would the demand for gas-powered thermal plants.Dr Ahmad expressed optimism that diversifying energy sources would result in cheaper electricity for both domestic and industrial sectors.He called for effective harmonisation of energy policies throughout the continent to address the challenges in the sector.Dr Ishmael Ackah, the Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, pushed for the injection of private capital into the energy sector to complement government efforts.'The presence of ERERA will set guidelines to harmonise the regulations within countries so that if you have excess power in the country 'A,' you can export to country 'B,' he said, adding that that would stabilise or make the prices of electricity uniform and address areas where there were shortages.Mr Kocou Rodrigue Laurent Toss-up, Chairman of ERERA, said the forum would strengthen the role of key players, to develop a regional framework for electricity trade that balances the need for the security of the power supply of states with the principles of free m arket competition.He said the forum would encourage cooperation among ECOWAS Member States to harmonise national policies and regulations related to electricity trading.Discussions would focus on promoting investment in cross-border electricity infrastructure to facilitate efficient trade and ensure supply security.Source: Ghana News Agency